Tunisia (2001) | Moldova (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 23 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), El Kef (Al Kaf), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan) | 32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)
counties: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
28.74% (male 1,440,636; female 1,348,133) 15-64 years: 65.12% (male 3,157,988; female 3,161,596) 65 years and over: 6.14% (male 296,930; female 299,819) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 20.6% (male 466,485; female 449,645)
15-64 years: 69.1% (male 1,478,220; female 1,595,695) 65 years and over: 10.3% (male 169,026; female 287,384) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds | vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk |
Airports | 32 (2000 est.) | 24 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
15 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 11 (2003 est.) |
Area | total:
163,610 sq km land: 155,360 sq km water: 8,250 sq km |
total: 33,843 sq km
land: 33,371 sq km water: 472 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Georgia | slightly larger than Maryland |
Background | Following independence from France in 1956, President Habib BOURGIUBA established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In recent years, Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to diffuse rising pressure for a more open political society. | Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001. |
Birth rate | 17.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.81 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$7.5 billion expenditures: $8.1 billion, including capital expenditures to $1.6 billion (2000 est.) |
revenues: $474.8 million
expenditures: $443.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
Capital | Tunis | Chisinau |
Climate | temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south | moderate winters, warm summers |
Coastline | 1,148 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988 | new constitution adopted 28 July 1994; replaces old Soviet constitution of 1979 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Tunisia conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis |
conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova local long form: Republica Moldova local short form: none former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic |
Currency | Tunisian dinar (TND) | Moldovan leu (MDL) |
Death rate | 4.99 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 12.76 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $13 billion (2000 est.) | $1.515 billion (2003) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Rust DEMMING embassy: 144 Avenue de la Liberte, 1002 Tunis-Belvedere mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] (1) 782-566 FAX: [216] (1) 789-719 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Heather M. HODGES
embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [373] (22) 408-300 FAX: [373] (22) 23-30-44 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Hatem ATALLAH chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Mihail MANOLI
chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204 |
Disputes - international | none | difficulties with the Transnistria region complicate controlling border crossing and customs regimes with Ukraine, despite concordance on 2003 delimitation and customs protocols and OSCE assistance |
Economic aid - recipient | $933.2 million (1995); note - ODA, $90 million (1998 est.) | $100 million (2000) |
Economy - overview | Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth averaged 5.5% in the past four years, and inflation is slowing. Growth in tourism and increased trade have been key elements in this steady growth. Tunisia's association agreement with the European Union entered into force on 1 March 1998, the first such accord between the EU and Mediterranean countries to be activated. Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future. | Moldova remains the poorest country in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies from Russia. Energy shortages contributed to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. As part of an ambitious reform effort, Moldova introduced a convertible currency, freed prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises, backed steady land privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. The government entered into agreements with the World Bank and the IMF to promote growth and reduce poverty. The economy returned to positive growth, of 2.1% in 2000, 6.1% in 2001, 7.2% in 2002, and 6.3% in 2003. Further reforms will come slowly because of strong political forces backing government controls. The economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors. |
Electricity - consumption | 8.677 billion kWh (1999) | 3.216 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 19 million kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 165 million kWh (1999) | 60 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 9.173 billion kWh (1999) | 3.394 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
99.2% hydro: 0.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Shatt al Gharsah -17 m highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m |
lowest point: Dniester River 2 m
highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m |
Environment - current issues | toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and presents human health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification | heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
Ethnic groups | Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% | Moldovan/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, Gagauz and other 5.2% (1989 est.)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region |
Exchange rates | Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.3753 (January 2001), 1.4667 (November 2000), 1.1862 (1999), 1.1387 (1998), 1.1059 (1997), 0.9734 (1996) | lei per US dollar - 13.9449 (2003), 13.5705 (2002), 12.8651 (2001), 12.4342 (2000), 10.5158 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a third term without opposition; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI nearly 100% |
chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Vasile IOVV (since 29 January 2002) cabinet: selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 4 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2005); note - presidential elections were scheduled for December 2000, but in July 2000, Parliament canceled direct, popular elections; Parliament's failure to choose a new president in December 2000 led to early parliamentary elections in February 2001; prime minister designated by the president, upon consultation with Parliament; note - within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated 15 April 2001, cabinet received a vote of confidence 19 April 2001 election results: Vladimir VORONIN elected president; parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 71, Dumitru BRAGHIS 15, Valerian CRISTEA 3; Vasile TARLEV designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence - 75 of 101 |
Exports | $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons | foodstuffs, textiles, machinery |
Exports - partners | Germany 28%, France 22%, Italy 17%, Belgium 5%, Libya 4% (1999) | Russia 39%, Romania 11.4%, Italy 10.4%, Germany 7.1%, Ukraine 7.1%, Belarus 5.2%, US 4.3% (2003) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam | same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $62.8 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $7.792 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
14% industry: 32% services: 54% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 21%
industry: 27% services: 52% (2003) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5% (2000 est.) | 6.3% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 34 00 N, 9 00 E | 47 00 N, 29 00 E |
Geography - note | strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration | landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone |
Highways | total:
23,100 km paved: 18,226 km unpaved: 4,874 km (1996) |
total: 12,657 km
paved: 11,012 km unpaved: 1,645 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.3% highest 10%: 30.7% (1990) |
lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 30.7% (1997) |
Illicit drugs | - | limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity |
Imports | $8.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food | mineral products and fuel 32%, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles (2000) |
Imports - partners | France 23%, Germany 23%, Italy 15%, Belgium 3% (1999) | Ukraine 22%, Russia 13%, Germany 9.7%, Italy 8.3%, Romania 7% (2003) |
Independence | 20 March 1956 (from France) | 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.1% (2000 est.) | 17% (2003 est.) |
Industries | petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages | food processing, agricultural machinery, foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, hosiery, sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles |
Infant mortality rate | 29.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 43.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2000 est.) | 11.6% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, BSEC (observer), CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 3,850 sq km (1993 est.) | 3,070 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation | Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature) |
Labor force | 2.65 million (2000 est.)
note: shortage of skilled labor |
1.383 million (2003) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.) | agriculture 40%, industry 14%, services 46% (1998) |
Land boundaries | total:
1,424 km border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km |
total: 1,389 km
border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km |
Land use | arable land:
19% permanent crops: 13% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 4% other: 44% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 55.3%
permanent crops: 10.79% other: 33.91% (2001) |
Languages | Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) | Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect) |
Legal system | based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session | based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; it is unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction but accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents |
Legislative branch | unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (182 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - RCD 92%; seats by party - RCD 148, MDS 13, UDU 7, PUP 7, Al-Tajdid 5, PSL 2; note - reforms enabled opposition parties to win up to 20% of seats; the opposition increased number of seats from 19 to 34 |
unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 February 2001 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 50.1%, Braghis Alliance (now Our Moldova Alliance) 13.4%, PPCD 8.2%, other parties 28.3%; seats by party - PCRM 71, Braghis Alliance (now Our Moldova Alliance) 19, PPCD 11 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
73.92 years male: 72.35 years female: 75.62 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 65.03 years
male: 60.88 years female: 69.39 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.7% male: 78.6% female: 54.6% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.1% male: 99.6% female: 98.7% (2003 est.) |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya | Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania |
Map references | Africa | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total:
15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 149,554 GRT/156,861 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,636 GRT/1,088 DWT
by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 2 Russia 1 registered in other countries: 4 |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard | National Army: Ground Forces, Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $356 million (FY99) | $9.5 million (FY03) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.5% (FY99) | 0.4% (FY02) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
2,739,566 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,186,818 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,561,484 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 942,071 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 20 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
105,146 (2001 est.) |
males: 44,466 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 20 March (1956) | Independence Day, 27 August (1991) |
Nationality | noun:
Tunisian(s) adjective: Tunisian |
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan |
Natural hazards | NA | landslides (57 cases in 1998) |
Natural resources | petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt | lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone |
Net migration rate | -0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 797 km; petroleum products 86 km; natural gas 742 km | gas 606 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Al-Tajdid Movement [Adel CHAOUCH]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Democratic Socialists or MDS [Khamis CHAMMARI]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed Belhaj AMOR]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI] | Democratic Modova Bloc [Serafim URECHEANU] includes: Democratic Party [Dumitru DIACOV], Our Moldova Alliance [Dumitru BRAGHIS, Serafim URECHEANU], Social Liberal Party [Oleg SEREBRIAN]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; Popular Christian Democratic Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed | NA |
Population | 9,705,102 (July 2001 est.) | 4,446,455 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 6% (2000 est.) | 80% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.15% (2001 est.) | 0.18% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 3 (1998) |
Radios | 2.06 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
2,168 km standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,687 km 1.000-m gauge dual gauge: 10 km 1.000-m and 1.435-m gauges (three rails) |
total: 1,138 km
broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
Religions | Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% | Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 20 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches |
general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some effort to modernize is under way
domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile cellular telephone service being introduced international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik |
Telephones - main lines in use | 654,000 (1997) | 706,900 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 50,000 (1998) | 338,200 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995) | 1 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara | rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea |
Total fertility rate | 1.99 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.78 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 15.6% (2000 est.) | 8% (roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad) (2002 est.) |
Waterways | none | 424 km (2004) |